“I’ve always felt close to nature. I was outdoors so much as a child, playing with animals, catching bugs, raising pollywogs to frogs. We spent summers tent-camping in remote parts of Alaska, so we were around a lot of wildlife there, and several people in my family had careers in the natural sciences. My uncle was a herpetologist and oceanographer, my grandfather was a botanist, and both my grandfather and grandmother were entomologists. I’ve always felt tremendous compassion toward creatures that many people are uncomfortable with. In fact, my studio is full of dead animals and bugs, and I incorporate insects into many of my paintings. The hair of the Violet Queen, one of the pieces in this show, is made entirely of bees. Another work, one that has just been accepted to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, is of a girl whose body is comprised of butterflies, both in chrysalis and in flight. Part of my mission is to bring greater recognition to these often-misunderstood creatures.

“I’m also working on a series of world leaders as babies. No matter the complexities of who we perceive them to be in their adult roles, these iconic figures were all babies once. Through gender, race, or circumstance, their lives took completely unexpected turns. I want to express a glimpse of that early innocence, before there was ever a thought as to who they might become. The trajectory of their lives, the power of their lives, is fascinating.”

Poppy King and Violet Queen (below) are part of the Summer Group Exhibition (showing June 5-July 31, 2015) at L.Ross Gallery, 5040 Sanderlin.